


ophelia goes swimming

by aletterinthenameofsanity



Series: this could be good (love is patient, love is kind) [27]
Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers S.P.D.
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bad Parenting, Bigotry & Prejudice, Birthday, Bruises, Family Issues, Happy Ending, Multi, Never - Freeform, Pink Rangers, Pregnancy, Slurs, Syd-centric, Team as Family, Women Being Awesome, and she's a pink cotton candy exterior, disguising a bomb inside, my girl Syd is the heart of the team, within the context of the show at least, yet another sequel bitches, you thought you were done with me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 03:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17296697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aletterinthenameofsanity/pseuds/aletterinthenameofsanity
Summary: “I'm a dirty mutant, father,” Syd spits, and some of the sounds around her clatter into silence. “Your Soulmate is a dirty mutant. What the fuck does it matter if Sky is a mutant when everyone you care about save your son is a mutant too?”Jake Drew’s face is stony. “Darling, you know not to talk to me like that.” His tone is the exact same one that Syd recognizes from when she was a kid. It’s that no-nonsense one that brokers no argument, the one that signifies a Truth that can’t possibly be false.But for once, Syd knows the truth. She’s a grown-ass woman who has found her Soulmates, who has fought the world’s greatest threats, who has laid down her life time after time to defend the world and those she loves. She has stood up to Cruger and to Grumm, to Broodwing and even to her own team. She knows where her voice is, knows that she carries a strength that her father cannot take from her. “I’m not your little girl anymore, father. I’m an adult and a Ranger, and I’m not going to listen to you speak to me or my Soulmates like that.”





	ophelia goes swimming

**Author's Note:**

> Me: I just want to write a fic for r.p.m. or one of my sequels to mystic force or even a sequel to jungle fury, that would be awesome-!
> 
> Brain: another S.P.D. fic, please
> 
> Me: But-!
> 
> Brain: ANOTHER S.P.D. FIC
> 
> Me: Okay, I guess

_She's got lions in her heart, a_ _fire in her soul_

 _He's got a beast i_ _n his belly that's so hard to control_

_'Cause they've taken too much hits, taking blow by blow_

_Now light a match, stand back, watch them explode_

**_-Superheroes,_ The Script**

 

It's a few weeks after their first group date when Syd's birthday rolls around, and thus her annual birthday party dinner at the ballroom at her father's mansion.

(It's also Jack's birthday, and tomorrow will be dinner with just the five of them, back at the base, as Jack doesn't really like crowds, but tonight will be more Syd's thing.) 

The evening starts off pretty well, as it should- Syd loves the opportunity to get to spend time with each of her Soulmates, to be able to ask for dances with each of them and have all of them agree with a bright smile. She also likes having the opportunity to play the hostess role for all of her Soulmates, showing off skills that she learned in the years before S.P.D, as well as ogling them all in the fancy clothing they never get to wear on duty.

She gets to show Z and Jack how to dance, gets to introduce Sky to everyone, and makes sure Bridge always has someone to help ground him. Syd knows how Bridge, who has been going to these parties longer than anyone else, reacts to crowds, and so she is careful to always keep at least one Soulmate by his side. Z spends the most time with Bridge, their rather open personalities and desire to try every single hors d'oeuvre pairing up well, but throughout the night all four of them will spend time dancing and talking to Bridge, careful to keep at least one hand on Bridge's to ground him. 

To be honest, Syd's having lots of fun. Now, if only she can limit her dances with her older brother to the one dance she has to have with him each year, then she'll be great.

-

“You must be Nate Tate's kid,” the man says, offering out his right hand for Sky to shake. His left hand is busy with a glass of wine, just like Sky's left is holding a glass of punch. “I’m Lionel Drew. I worked with your father back in the first days of S.P.D.”

"It's nice to meet you, sir," Sky says, shaking Syd's father's hand. Lionel Drew looks exactly like his daughter- he has her curly blonde hair, bright eyes, and tanned skin. It's clear which one of Syd's fathers is her biological one, only compunded by the fact that if Lionel worked at S.P.D., he must have been the parent Syd got her powers from.

And wait a moment. If Lionel knew Sky's dad, then he might know…

“Jack!” Sky calls out, and Jack looks up from his conversation with Bridge. He gives Bridge a small smile and a quick kiss on the cheek before heading over to Sky. Z immediately takes Jack's spot by Bridge's side, sliding a hand into Bridge's, and Sky smiles at the look of relief on Bridge's. Despite him wearing his gloves, the crush of people in the ballroom has been pressing on Bridge throughout the night and Sky is glad to see that Bridge still doesn't seem to be betraying any signs of exhaustion.

"Yeah, Sky?" Jack asks once he reaches them.

“This is Lionel Drew. He says that he worked with my father, and I thought he might have known your-"

“Holy shit,” Sky hears Lionel mutter, and he glances back to find Lionel staring at Jack as if he's looking at a ghost. “It's like looking at a photograph,” he says under his breath, then clears his throat and gives Jack a smile. Jack, on the other hand, just looks confused. “You look just like Scott.”

Jack raises an eyebrow. “Scott?”

Lionel frowns. “Aren't you Scott's kid? Didn't you go live with your uncle when he and Lia died?”

Jack’s face has gone at least three shades paler than normal, and Sky sympathizes. It's not everyday that you have your overturned by new information about your identity. “I grew up in an orphanage, sir. I don't know who you're talking about."

Lionel's expression goes dark. "No one adopted you?"

Jack shakes his head. "I only had my Soulmates until a couple of years ago, when I joined S.P.D." Sky nearly snorts- despite his later heroics on the field and off, Jack didn't so much join S.P.D. as was dragged along by Z.

 “Wait a moment,” Lionel says, pointing a finger at Jack in recognition, “You're Syd's Jack, aren't you? Her Soulmate.”

“And so is Sky,” Jack says, a fond smile creeping onto his face, and Lionel's eyes fo wide.

"He is?" Lionel asks, a note of surprise to his voice. "But Syd has always said that you, Bridge, and Z were her only Soulmates."

"It's a rather new development," Sky says, "Discovered during S.P.D. duties."

Lionel nods. He probably has a rather good idea of what can happen in S.P.D. duties. "Did it have anything to do with your father's accident?"

Sky nods. "My Soulmarks didn't appear until my Soulbond reacted with a criminal's blast a few months back."

Something catches Lionel's eye and he raises a hand at someone behind Sky. "Jake, come meet two of Syd's Soulmates." Sky turns to see a man in a crisp black suit and pink tie heading towards them. The man has salt-and-pepper hair, a confident smile, and dark brown eyes that seem to pierce through the soul of whoever he looks at.

“You must be wrong, Li,” the man says, staring at Sky as he walks over. “My daughter only has three Soulmates, one of which is Bridge Carson, one of which is Jack Landors, and the last one is Z Delgado. The young man by your side is none of the above.”

Something in Sky's heart shreds. 

-

Syd is dancing with her brother- because Z and Bridge are off dancing on their own, and Sky and Jack are busy somewhere, so she's fulfilling her one-dance-with-Aiden-a-year-requirement- when she is distracted by a voice she recognizes- her father's loud, disdainful tone, the one he uses for anyone he considers lesser than him. She glances over, a bit confused as to why it's being used at her birthday party, to see Sky and Jack standing with her dads. She halts in her tracks, leading her brother to bump into her slightly.

"Sorry," she mutters, almost too distracted to catch Aiden's acceptance of her apology.

“-He’s just a dirty mutant that’s trying to get to my daughter’s money,” her father says, and something roars in Syd's chest. What the actual fuck. "He has nothing better to do than to fake a Soulmate connection."

"Don't you dare say that about him," Jack says, tone blistering. Beside him, Sky's face is stony, but she can see the way his fingers are shaking slightly around his glass. Syd knows how insecure Sky has been in their relationship, the reassurances they'd had to give him to make him feel loved and accepted when he had so less time with them than the other four. It's taken a lot of work, undoing the damage caused to make their Soulmate clutch his heart so close to his chest.

And now Syd wants to scream. She's always known her father never loved mutants, but this? Accusing one of her Soulmates of faking one of the most sacred bonds of all, of committing one of the most heinous crimes recognized by human laws? How the fuck dare he?

“I'm a dirty mutant, father,” Syd spits as she steps forward, abandoning Aiden behind her, and some of the sounds around her clatter into silence. “Your _Soulmate_ is a dirty mutant. What the fuck does it matter if Sky is a mutant when everyone you care about save your son is a mutant too?”

Jake Drew’s face is stony. “Darling, you know not to talk to me like that.” His tone is the exact same one that Syd recognizes from when she was a kid. It’s that no-nonsense one that brokers no argument, the one that signifies a Truth that can’t possibly be false.

But for once, Syd knows the truth. She’s a grown-ass woman who has found her Soulmates, who has fought the world’s greatest threats, who has laid down her life time after time to defend the world and those she loves. She has stood up to Cruger and to Grumm, to Broodwing and even to her own team. She knows where her voice is, knows that she carries a strength that her father cannot take from her. “I’m not your little girl anymore, father. I’m an adult and a Ranger, and I’m not going to listen to you speak to me or my Soulmates like that.”

"Young lady," Her father says, speaking to her like she's still the fifteen-year-old girl who left the family mansion to join S.P.D. instead of the grown woman she really is. "You may not speak to me like that. I am your _father_ , despite certain physical dissimilarities."

Physical dissimilarities? What the fuck does that mean? Sure, she's not his biological child, but...

But that's it. She's not his biological child. She's not his biological child, and that matters to him in a way that it should never matter to a parent.

“You love Aiden more than you love me, don’t you?” Her father’s expression doesn’t change, doesn’t betray any sort of confirmation, but he doesn’t argue with her and she has her confirmation. She doesn’t cry, doesn’t swallow- the knowledge just sits in her chest, where the suspicion has for years.

She’s always had the feeling that no matter what she did, she could never be as good as Aiden in her father’s eyes. Sure, Aiden’s the older one, the heir to the company, the one who became the lawyer, but as a kid, before she showed signs of mutant abilities, she was the one her father doted on. She was his little girl, his little princess, and it didn’t matter that Dad was her biological parent and Father was Aiden’s. He loved her like his own.

Then came the mutant abilities, and he grew just a little colder, a little distant. 

She joined S.P.D. seeking to prove herself, to make something of herself outside of the last name her father almost seemed to have regretted giving to her. There, she met Bridge, who loved her unconditionally. For years before she met Jack and Z, she still knew that she was appreciated because Bridge was always there by her side.

Then she'd met Jack and Z, and they'd taught her a lot as well. Where Bridge had taught her that love could be unconditional, even between mutants, Jack had taught her that sometimes love needed work, that some relationships were worth discussion and growth. Z had taught her that passion- for people, for things, for helping others- is sometimes much preferable to feigned indifference.

And Sky, a year later- he had taught her that it's never too late to fall in love with someone, to open yourself up to new people.

All four of them have loved her in ways that her father never showed her, showing her the support that she never got from Jake Drew. They let her be petty and selfless and scornful and kind in all the ways her father looked down on her for. They love every part of her, from her attitude to her powers. They love her because of her imperfections, not caring for her despite them.

A month ago, she and her Soulmates saved the world. They took down A-Squad, Broodwing, and Grumm all at once. They have perhaps one of the best Ranger records in the history of the Archives, with a record total of three Great Villains. 

And her father doesn’t care. He looks at her and can’t see past the way her cells can reformat themselves to become as strong as iron, as steel, as diamonds.

Well, she can do the same thing. “Well, thank you for the party, father,” Syd says. "I believe that I will be going now, if you don't mind."

Her Dad smiles sympathetically at her. "I hope you and your Soulmates enjoy what's left of the party, Biscuit."

Syd holds out an arm to both Jack and Sky, who seem to understand the unvoiced instruction. They both take an arm, thankfully ignoring the way that Syd is almost shaking in anger. With one of her Soulmates on either side, it almost feels like she has layered herself in armor not dissimilar to her Rangers uniform. This armor, though, is of the emotional kind, and at the moment is much preferable to her Ranger suit.

Z and Bridge meet them at the door, hand in hand. "You guys ready to go?" Z asks, and Syd nods.

She hopes all the guests enjoy the fucking party. All she wants is to get out of this place, to spend time with the four people she knows love her. 

-

They get back to their rooms at S.P.D. and Syd doesn't even want to stop to change out of their fancy clothing. She kicks off her heels at the door to her and Z's room and stomps in on bare feet.

She has a scream trapped in her throat that she can't get out. Her eyes are burning, tears threatening to fall. She wants to rage, to shout, to find some way to get the pain of rejection and anger out of her veins.

What she does next might not be the most rational thing in the universe, but Syd's not perfect. She is a human who has just had the rejection of the man who raised her confirmed. Her heart is not exactly broken- instead, anger replaces the sorrow that might have laid there.

So Syd punches a wall with her normal hand and her all-too-human knuckles _crack_. She looks down to find a bruise already blooming across her raw knuckles, accompanied by a rush of pain.

And it feels good. It reminds her that she is a fighter, that she has fought far worse than her father's bigotry. She has been hurt worse than by her father before, had her whole body in a cast at one point. She has fought monsters and criminals, saved the world and taken down a galactic empire.

Z takes Syd's hand in hers, being careful not to touch Syd's bruised knuckles. Jack hands her a bandage- and Syd's not going to question where the fuck that came from- and Z wraps it around her knuckles, calloused but gentle fingertips moving lovingly around her knuckles. She finishes it off with a quick kiss to Syd's bandages.

"We'll get that checked out at the infirmary in the morning," Z says.

"Thanks a lot," Syd replies, kissing Z on the lips before turning back to everyone else. "I'm sorry for what just happened."

"It's not your fault," Z says, "Your parents being dicks will _never_ be your fault." 

“You will always be a far better mother than he was a father,” Bridge says, words comforting as always. He’s known her for so long, known her parents for just as long, but he’s never seen this ugly side of her father. He’s only known her father's distant side, not his unloving side.

“He’s right, you know,” Sky says, who has only been a part of this relationship for a year now but has heard her talking aloud about her father for their years of training. He knows the ways that her father never paid attention to her save for the parties, the ways that he never visited even on family day while her dad visited twice a year and even Aiden had once. “You’re one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. You care like no one else does.”

Jack offers her a crooked smile.  “You’re the only person I know who believed in a robot dog."

“They’re right,” Z says, something strange in her eyes and a smile upon her lips. “You're a wonderful woman, and you’ll be a wonderful mother to our kid.”

Wait a moment. “ _Our kid_?” Syd asks, eyes wide.

Z’s eyes widen as if she hadn’t meant to say what she had, but she does nod. “I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you I'm pregnant.” Four heads turn to look at her- or more specifically, her completely flat abdomen- in shock. She shrugs. “Surprise?”

Jack’s eyes go wide, and Syd immediately looks at Sky and Bridge- because there’s no way she’s the father because _duh_ , and Jack can’t be the father either because he’s asexual, so it has to be one of the two of them.

Sky’s frozen in his seat, while Bridge’s rambling thought processes haven’t caught up to the inevitable question yet. Instead he’s grinning in happiness. Syd loves the man and he’s brilliant as fuck, but it’s a particular kind of brilliant.

“I obviously don't know whose it is,” Z says, glancing between Sky and Bridge, and Bridge’s mouth drops open into an ‘O’. He’s finally gotten it.

“Holy shit,” Bridge says, and Syd kind of has to agree.

“Well, it doesn't matter whose it is,” Sky says, “All five of us are going to be that baby's parents, right?”

“Of course you are,” Z says, “We’re a team and we’re Soulmates.” She offers out a hand to Syd. “We’re gonna be the best parents this kid could ask for.”

Syd doesn’t want this child to ever feel like the five of them did growing up, unwanted and unloved because of her abilities. She wants to make sure that this child feels every ounce of love they have to give.

“We’re all gonna love this little girl,” Syd says, “We’re gonna spoil her until she screams at us for being helicopter parents.”

“Wait a moment,” Jack says, “What if it’s a boy?”

Syd shakes her head, blond curls bouncing. “Oh, it’s going to be a girl, trust me.”

“I’ll love the little bean no matter what the gender ends up,” Z says, “But I’m 95% sure Syd’s right.”

Bridge’s brow furrows. “The science behind that is almost impossible, unless you’ve developed some sort of psychic powers lately, Z-”

Syd lets out a small laugh. Her knuckles still ache but her heart is happy.

“Now,” Z says, “The real question is what the littlest Ranger’s name is going to be.”

"Well, if it's a boy, name him Nathan," Jack says, and Sky turns to him. 

"Or Scott," Sky says, something passing between him and Jack that Syd's going to ask about later.

Bridge beats her to speaking, though. "And if it's a girl, can I suggest Eve or Chaya?"

Jack raises an eyebrow, and Syd would be a bit confused to if she hadn't gone to multiple Saturday Services with Bridge over their time in basic training. "Why those in particular, Bridge?"

"Both mean 'life' in Hebrew," Bridge says, and everyone stares at him. "I thought it would be a good meaning for a daughter."

"All the suggestions sound good to me," Z says. "Now, I suggest we all change, grab Syd some painkillers, and then cuddle, if that's okay with you."

"That's always good with me," Jack says, and the rest of them nod.

"Bridge and I will go change and then meet up with you all back here?" Sky says, reaching for Bridge's hand, which Bridge gives him with a smile.

"Jack and I will hunt down those painkillers," Syd says. 

"I'll grab snacks," Z says, as casual as always, as if she hasn't just changed their lives, and Syd kind of appreciates that nonchalance.

"Don't forget-" Bridge says as he and Sky head out the door, and Z nods, giving him a fond smile.

"Toast, I know."

Syd grabs Jack's hand with her non-throbbing one and he allows her to pull him to his feet. "See you in a few, Z," Jack says, pressing a quick kiss to Z's cheek before they exit the room.

Syd finds herself unable to stop smiling, despite the pain in her hand and the remnants of anger in her heart. "I love all of you so much," Syd says to Jack as they head down the hallway.

"Me too," he says, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

 

 _When they don’t love you the way you want to, you mourn that for however long you need to._ _But then you get back up and you remind yourself._

 _You are not a reflection of the people who can’t love you._ _You will love again. You will be loved again._

 _-_ **Caitlyn Siehl**


End file.
